Induced draft blower



Feb. 3, 1942. F. H. c. coPPus 2,271,627

INDUCED DRAFT BLOWER Filed March 7, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J 72 0372257: Fans H6. appus Feb. 3, 1942. F. H. c. coPPus 2,271,627

I NDUCED DRAFT BLOWER Filed March '7, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WWW Patentecl Feb. 3, 1942 UNITED STATES OFFICE INDUCED nnar'r BLOWER Application March 7, 1938, Serial No. 194,257

Claims.

The present invention relates to an air driven blower for inducing draft, especially in the stack of a boiler. The blower is particularly adapted for drafting or ventilating locomotive or other movable boilers. One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a readily portable blower which can easily be placed manually in a position for use.

In prior devices for drafting locomotives, as shown for example,'in the C'oppus Patent No. 1,858,581, dated May 17, 1932, there has been a provision for preventing the transfer of heat to the motor from the hot gases surrounding the motor, the structure by which this was accomplished. being a double-walled hub with an air space between. One feature of this invention resides in the provision of means for keeping the driving motor and its associated parts cool during the operation of the blower, and to this end the compressed air utilized by the motor for driving the fan also serves to prevent the transfer of heat from the hot gases to the motor. A

further feature of the invention resides in a provision for lubricating the motor automatically in order to minimize wear on the parts and to assure satisfactory operation of the device.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through the blower embodying the invention.

Fig.2 is a horizontal sectional View along the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view along the line 33 of Fig. 1

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a locomotive showing a blower in position on top of the locomotive stack.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the device of Fig. 4.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures.

With reference first to Figs. 1 and 3, the device has a base i in the form of a spider having radially extending hollow legs 2, to the outer ends of which is connected a cylindrical shell 3 which surrounds the fan 4. The lower edge of the shell has an outwardly and upwardly extending flange 5 which is engageable with the top of the locomotive stack, as shown in Fig. 4, for supporting the device.

A cylindrical housing fiis mounted centrally on the base, as by cap screws 1, and within the housing is positioned a vertical sleeve 8 which forms the cylinder for the driving motor. End caps 9 and it at opposite ends of the sleeve provide antifriction bearings II and I2 which support the motor shaft l3 for rotation. Inside the sleeve 3 is positioned a cylinder 14 which is preferably integral with the shaft l3, and this cylinder has radial slots IS in which are positioned radially extending vanes I6. The inner bore ll of the sleeve 8is eccentric to the cylinder l4 and also to the outside surface I8 of the sleeve, which latter is concentric to the axis of the cylinder l4.

Air under pressure for driving the motor is supplied by a pipe I9 extending centrally through one of the hollow arms 2 and communicating at its inner end with a horizontal channel in the base which intersects a chamber 2B in the base. The chamber 20 is in line with a vertical channel in the end plate It and a bore 2l' in the sleeve 8, As best shown in Fig. 2, the vertical channel 2! communicates with the inside of the sleeve 8 by means of arcuate slots 22 which intersect the channel. It will be apparent that these slots are so arranged that air from the vertical channel is discharged into the space between the sleeve 8 and the cylinder adjacent to and at one side of the point where the cylinder and sleeve are tangent.

Opposite to the slots 22 the sleeve 8 has exhaust ports 23 for the exhaust of air from the motor. These ports communicate with an annular space 24 between the sleeve 8 and the housing 6. The latter has openings 25 therein which permit the exhaust of air from the annular space into another annular space 26 between the housing and a depending annular flange 21 on the fan. The annular flange 21 constitutes the hub of the fan and forms a housing within which the motor is positioned, and as above stated, the flange 2'! is spaced from the housing 6 to define the annular space 26. The lower end of the flange is spaced slightly from the housing 6 to provide for the escape of air therebetween.

For lubricating the motor the air which drives the motor has oil supplied thereto by an injector. To this end the hollow leg 2 through which the compressed air pipe extends has its opposite ends closed to form a chamber 28 which can be filled with oil through a plug 29. Intersecting the horizontal channel 2|] at the end of the air pipe is a nozzle 30 having a "needle valve 3| by which to control the amount of oil delivered from the oil chamber to the air passage. The lubricating mechanism is of well-known construction and need not be described in detail.

The oil in the chamber 28 is kept cool by a cy- As best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the shell 3 has projecting pins 38 on opposite sides thereof which are engageable in the ends of a yoke 39, the center of which is provided with a cross fitting 40 to Which a pipe H is attached. By this means the blower may be manually placed upon the smoke stack 42 of a locomotive. To prevent the weight of the pipe from overbalancing the blower when the latter is in operation, the lower end of the pipe has a suitable coupling 33 with a thumbscrew 44 by which the coupling may be secured to a vertical post 45, extending upwardly from the floor.

In operation, the device having been placed upon the smoke stack in the position of Fig. 4, air is admitted to the motor by a flexible hose connection 46 between the fitting 4B and the air pipe I9, the coupling 36 being provided for this purpose. Air is admitted to the pipe 4! through a coupling 67 adjacent the lower end of the pipe. As air enters within the bore of the sleeve 8, it causes a clockwise rotation, Fig. 2, of the cylinder l4 and, accordingly, of the shaft 13, which is integral therewith. The fan 4 is keyed, as at 48, or otherwise secured to the upper end of the shaft l3. As the cylinder M rotates, the vanes l6 move in and out, as shown in Fig. 2, to remain in contact with the sleeve 8, in order that the motor may function. Air escaping into the annular space 25 between the housing and the radial flange or hub 27 on the fan aids in maintaining the motor and associated parts at the proper temperature. This air is obviously continually changed by the discharge of air from the motor.

For a more complete cooling of the lower bearing for the fan shaft, the legs 2, except for the one in which the oil chamber is located, are hollow and are in line, at their outer ends, with openings 39 in the shell 3 to communicate with the atmosphere outside of the shell. These hollow legs communicate at their inner ends with an annular chamber 50 which extends around an annular portion 5! of the base. Within the annular portion 5| is a grease chamber 52 for the anti-friction bearing at the lower end of the shaft. The annular air space in the base communicates with a central opening 53 in the underside of the base, this opening being shielded by a plate 54 connected, as by a screw 55, to a downwardly projecting boss 56 on the portion of the base which forms the grease chamber. The suction of the fan causes a circulation of air through the legs 2, chamber 35 and the chamber 5 3 to keep the lubricating oil and the grease chamber 52 from overheating.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a base adapted to rest on an opening, said base having hollow legs in one of which is located an oil chamber, a motor centrally positioned on the base, a fan driven by the motor, and means surrounding said chamber and communicating with the atmosphere outside of the opening for circulating cooling air around said chamber as a result of fan rotation.

2. In a device of the class described, a base adapted to rest on an opening, said base having hollow legs in one of which is located an oil chamber, a motor centrally positioned on the base, a fan driven by the motor, and means extending through the leg in which the oil chamber is located for supplying air to said motor, including a nozzle associated with said oil chamber to inject oil into the air entering the motor.

3. In a blower, a base, a compressed air motor on said base, a fan driven by said motor, bearings for said motor and fan, a chamber having a lubricant supply for at least some of said bearings, and means associated with and at least partially surrounding said chamber to circulate cooling air therearound as a result of fan rotation, said means communicating with the atmosphere at a point out of the air stream caused by the fan rotation.

4. In a blower, a base, a compressed air motor on said base, a fan driven by said motor, a chamher having an oil supply for lubricant to the motor, means for directing air to said motor, including a conduit passing through the oil chamber, and means associated with said air directing means for injecting oil from the chamber into the air before it reaches the motor.

5. In a device for handling hot gases, a base, a fan having a hub, a compressed air motor on said base for driving said fan, said motor being positioned within the fan hub and a housing within the hub and surrounding said motor to define a chamber into which the exhaust air from the motor is discharged, said housing being spaced from the inner surface of the fan hub whereby the chamber between the hub and housing is substantially annular.

6. In a device of the class described, a base adapted to rest on an opening, said base having hollow legs communicating at their outer ends with the atmosphere outside the opening, a motor centrally located on said base, a fan driven by said motor and having a hub surrounding said motor, means for circulating air through the hollow legs as a result of fan rotation, and means for directing the exhaust air from the motor to the inside of the fan hub for cooling said motor.

'7. In a blower, 'a base adapted to rest on an opening, a compressed air motor positioned centrally of the base, a fan connected to said motor and driven by said motor, a handle hingedly connected to said base for positioning the blower, a connecting element on said handle remote from the base to which an air supply may be connected, a flexible conduit from said handle to the motor and means on said handle adjacent the end remote from the base for supporting the handle and thereby avoiding displacement of the blower on the opening.

8. In a light-weight device for drafting locomotives, a base engageable with the stack of a locomotive, a compressed air motor positioned centrally of the base, a fan driven by the motor and positioned within the base for circulation of air therethrough, a handle hingedly connected to the base for positioning the blower on the stack,

by the motor for circulating air through the locomotive stack, at least one of said legs being hollow to permit circulation of air through said leg, the base having a chamber communicating with said hollow leg, and means associated with the chamber for causing a flow of air therethrough as a result of the rotation of the fan.

10. In a blower for drafting locomotives, a, base having radially extending legs for supporting the FRANS H. C. COPPUS. 

